


K is for Kite

by Cowardly Lion (Catsmeow)



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action, Gen, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 19:09:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12514420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catsmeow/pseuds/Cowardly%20Lion
Summary: M’zel believed in the cause and would willing fight to free all Jaffa.  He just wished the ways of the Tau’ri weren’t so alien.





	K is for Kite

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Circling](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12487868) by [Cowardly Lion (Catsmeow)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catsmeow/pseuds/Cowardly%20Lion). 



> Based on Season 7 episode 16 Death Knell. Companion fic to "Circling". This same scene is included as a small part of the fic "Circling" which is written from the POV of an SGC character who has a completely different take on it. :) Written February 2013

M’zel recognized the need for administrative meetings but had never enjoyed them. The Tau'ri had a phrase which summed them up perfectly - necessary evil. That phrase was one of the few things from the Tau'ri which he found useful. The meetings were less so, especially with the Tau'ri in charge. They did things differently, less efficiently, but wrongly believed their ways to be superior to those of the Jaffa. The Tau'ri were soldiers, not warriors, and it irritated him to be under their command. 

The inclusion of the Tok’ra to the alliance had not improved matters any. While the Tau'ri yoke chafed him, the Tok’ra presence galled. Even more so than the System Lords, the Tok’ra were secretive. Master manipulators. Devious in the extreme. Above all, they were Goa’uld just like the System Lords they claimed to oppose. 

M’zel had seen it before. One god supplants another and becomes the very same as the tyrant that had been deposed. The Tok’ra professed benevolence and fairness now, but once the balance of power shifted, once the Tok’ra held sway, how long would that benevolence last? 

The Tau'ri said to trust the Tok’ra and he did. He trusted the Tok’ra to betray them all. The only question was how soon. 

Colonel Reilly dismissed them and M’zel left the command hut, ruminating on the changes just outlined. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Major Green. 

“I’m heading to lunch but I’d like to discuss item four if you have time,“ said Green. 

M’zel readily agreed. As they discussed the proposed changes to perimeter checkpoints and sentry rotation, M’zel considered the man beside him. 

As one of the senior officers of the Tau'ri, Green had many people directly under his authority. Green was neither fierce nor stern, but despite these shortcomings, his people performed well and seemed loyal to him. M’zel generally found him to be reasonable and less perplexing than some of the other Tau'ri. Green was, in the Tau'ri parlance, an okay guy. 

At the commissary, M’zel was pleased to find that meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy was being served. Some of the Tau'ri food was too foreign to be palatable. It nourished the body, nothing more. This dish, however, was quite enjoyable. More than once M’zel had thought of procuring the recipe from the cooks but then he would have to find the equivalent spices and ingredients on his own planet. No easy task. 

Once through the food line, he and Green took their laden trays to one of the few tables with available seats. They would be sharing with two youngsters, Hassan and Tompkins. While Tompkins was, unfortunately, a woman and therefore lacking in strength of body, she had a strength of spirit, a determination, that was refreshing to see. Coupled with her intelligence, it should serve her well in her tenure at the SGC. Hassan, while possessed of greater physical strength, lacked the spark that marked a true warrior. It was not just Hassan’s youth that made M’zel think of him as a boy. There was a softness to him reminiscent of that which, among the Jaffa, was usually found in unseasoned striplings. 

The Tau'ri rituals of strength and endurance known as Boot Camp would be as play to the Jaffa children coming of age. M’zel did concede, that from the descriptions and stories, the advanced rituals undergone by those who became Special Forces did seem almost as worthy as those the newly inititated Jaffa practiced. Clearly, Hassan would benefit greatly from the latter. 

M’zel glared at a pair of foot soldiers who had the audacity to try to claim the chairs first despite being of obviously lower rank. The soldiers rightly backed off, but M’zel made a point of remembering who they were. Such presumption should not go unremarked. 

Hassan’s head was turned so he hadn’t seen M’zel and Green approach. Tompkins had, though. Her gaze flicked from Hassan to Green then back to Hassan. She shook her head slightly at Hassan who did not take the hint. 

Green held his tray just above the tabletop waiting for Hassan to finish his sentence before interrupting. M’zel set his tray on the table. 

“I couldn’t wait for Lieutenant Glenn to relieve me,” complained Hassan. “Let him listen to the Carters argue with each other.”

Reminding himself that these soldiers were not his to discipline, M’zel kept silent. He pulled out the chair as he waited to see how Green would respond. 

“Superior officers never argue, Lieutenant. They engage in spirited discussions.” Green gestured to the empty chairs. “Are these seats taken?” 

Hassan’s head whipped around. Eyes wide, he opened and closed his mouth several times but only a croaking noise emerged.

Even as he asked, Green plopped his tray down and took a chair.. M’zel was already seated. A Jaffa of his rank asked permission of no foot soldier. He was relieved to see that Green’s request was a mere formality but even the pretense of requesting permission from an underling was a mistake. Coupled as it was with a rebuke so mild it hardly deserved the name, it showed a distressing laxity. The chain of command should be honored and reinforced at all times so that all who toiled within it knew precisely what was expected of them. 

Red-faced, Hassan stammered out something that sounded like a cross between an apology for gossip and an invitation to join the table. M’zel ignored him expecting Green to silence him. 

Instead, Green spoke in the gentle tone of an indulgent master to an apprentice of no more than ten summers. 

“Pick a new subject, son, and start talking,” Green suggested. “It’ll be less awkward that way.” 

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Um...” Hassan stared into space. “Oh! I think a pair of swallow tailed kites have made the base part of their territory.”

“That’s the great big black and white bird with the vee-shaped tail, right?” asked Tompkins. When Hassan nodded she continued. “I’ve only seen one of those.”

Again, it was not truly his place to correct these soldiers but M’zel could not let the error go unremarked. He said “There are, in fact, three individual birds.”

“Really?” Hassan looked excited. After a quick search of his pockets the boy pulled out a tiny notepad and stubby pencil. “Where did you see it? When? How could you tell it was a third individual?”

M’zel was pleasantly surprised. While he hesitated to interfere with the discipline of another officer’s troops, surely a bit of praise would not be unwelcome? After all there was more than one way to steer a cart. The Tau'ri had such a rudimentary understanding of the dedication practiced by a true warrior such that any guidance would be better than none. Although it went against his grain, M’zel used the example set by Green moments before and spoke gently.. 

“I commend your attention to matters such as this,” said M’zel. “I had not thought the Tau'ri to be so focused on tactical detail.”

“Um. Tactical?” Hassan paused, eyebrows drawn together, pencil stub hovering over the open page.

What was so difficult to understand about that sentence? Just when he thought he couldn’t underestimate the Tau'ri, they would hit a new low. Exasperating, but he could demonstrate patience as well as guidance. Let Green see and learn from his example. 

“Yes,” M’zel spoke as if to a small child of limited comprehension. “Noting the usual appearance and behavior of the local creatures such as the birds so that you may be alerted if a break in their pattern is detected. This kite of which you speak is both a predator of smaller animals including other birds and an eater of carrion.” M’zel gestured with his eating utensil thinking that perhaps a visual aid would be of assistance. “Should the bird suddenly abandon its usual territory it may indicate a larger predator or enemy ground forces in the vicinity. The presence of what appears to be a family group consisting of a mated pair and one newly adult offspring is a good sign.”

“Well, I’m keeping track because I like watching them. They’re beautiful creatures. Birds I mean. In general. Not just these, but...” Hassan’s speech tapered off as he continued to gape at M’zel.

And once again, a new low. That was twice within minutes. M’zel wondered if it was a record. “You watch them because they are … pretty?” 

He was disgusted but unsurprised. The Tau'ri valued a surprising number of valueless things. 

“I believe our tongue-tied young friend here meant that in addition to taking detailed notes for tactical purposes, he also appreciates the beauty inherent in their conformation and coloring. One may observe and admire at the same time, don’t you think?” asked Green. “Or have we finally found something that the Jaffa can’t do?” 

M’zel bristled at the insult before he realized Green’s strategy. Green was trying to encourage his underling’s proper behavior by saying, in effect, _Here is something you do well. Be proud of it. Continue your efforts and you will bring honor to us all._

Jaffa mothers often used sweet kalmesh sauce to get their children to eat their vegetables. Soon, the children would learn to eat the vegetables plain and the kalmesh sauce would be put away. Perhaps if he considered it in that regard it would be more acceptable. Aesthetic beauty would be the kalmesh for Hassan’s observation of the world around him. 

While it was not at all the way he would have handled it, M’zel could understand the approach. To show his tolerance and his respect for Green’s authority, he would assist in the effort. He took a moment to reflect. 

The species was unknown to him prior to this, but from comments overhead, he understood that the kite was nearly identical to a bird native to the Tau'ri after which it had been named. The bird’s swallow-tail was distinctive, as was its coloration. The stark contrast of pure black and solid white emphasised its conformation during flight. There was a simplicity and an elegance to the bird that he had noted on his first sighting of it. 

“The plumage is striking,” said M’zel. 

There. Never let it be said that M’zel could not engage in diplomacy when needed. He had done his part, now it was time to move on. The meatloaf had waited long enough. It was delicious as always. Every mouthful a treat. The mashed potatoes and gravy had cooled but not so much that they had congealed. 

Nodding to indicate Hassan, Green said, “He’s been bird watching since he was kid. He’s a genuine bona fide member of the Audubon Society and everything. Now, I like watching birds. Love watching them fly. I can tell you what color something is and make a guess about what kind it is but I’ll never know as much about them as he does.”

 _By the gods!_ M’zel nearly flung his utensil to the table. Now Green was just coddling the boy. With an effort of will, M’zel kept his gaze on his meal and held his tongue. It would not do to chastise a fellow leader in public, even an inferior Tau'ri officer. That was three. Three new lows in a matter of minutes. Apparently, M’zel was not destined to enjoy his lunch today. He felt his annoyance rising. 

“I bet you he can answer any question about birds,” Green continued. “Go on. Try to stump him.”

While M’zel mentally composed the points he would address quite sternly with Green in private later, the woman obliged Green by asking a question of Hassan.

Hassan had no chance to answer. Sirens sprang to life, wailing danger from the air. The commissary emptied as everyone went to their assigned posts for battle. M’zel was pleased with the alacrity with which the soldiers moved. As Green exited the hut in front of him, a huge fireball exploded nearby nearly jolting them off of their feet. He grabbed the doorway with one hand and Green with other keeping both himself and the Tau'ri upright. 

Instead of the kites, the sky held two alkesh each in a strafing run attempting to knock out the gate. At this moment, the differences between the Jaffa and Tau'ri had no meaning. All that mattered was surviving this fight. Perhaps, M’zel thought, when this was over, if Hassan still lived, he would take the boy aside and teach him what to look for when observing the wildlife and why it mattered. For now, he calculated the strength and composition of the attacking force as he made his way to his battle station. 

FINIS


End file.
